"When you learn how to suffer, you suffer much less" Thich Nhat Hanh.
I am a great lover of quotes and often look to them for motivation, inspiration, wisdom, etc. You would think that at my age, I wouldn't need them, but I think we all need encouragement at some time in our lives - I certainly have.
The above quote came up on my twitter timeline and was placed there by someone who became paralysed and remains positive - an inspiration to me! It isn't always easy, is it?
My life changed drastically when Fibromyalgia hit me and It took me a long time to realise that I had to adapt to it and live my life around it - I could still have a life, but it wouldn't be the same. During that 'long time', I cried - I didn't want to give in - I was suffering in lots of ways. Once I accepted that my Fibromyalgia wasn't going to go away, then I began to plan. "How could I help myself?".
At that time, movement was very slow and getting dressed was quite a challenge, especially with zips, buttons, etc.; I couldn't lift my arms very high and that proved to be one of my biggest problems, so I enlisted the help of my GP - I would find that impossible to do now. He referred me for a course of acupuncture and I had ten sessions. It's a strange sensation having needles placed into various points of the body and I often found one still in place after I had left the surgery, lol. What a joy it was to be able to put a cardigan, or a coat on, by myself - my doctor was as delighted as I was!
My next step was to start walking - short and steady and close to home; five minutes for a week; eight minutes for the following week; ten minutes was wonderful :-) I began slowly to feel more positive, but I also had an aim - to have some independence again. One of my smiley things, was to join a keep fit class for the over fifties - it caused a lot of amusement amongst family and friends - because it was mostly seated exercises and I could join in as much as I could manage. Again, I began with just four minutes and progressed a few minutes each week until I could do the whole hour - I was by far, the youngest in the class, but the ladies were lovely and we laughed a lot.
That was the beginning of my new 'journey' living with Fibromyalgia.
I think we can all take from the quote different things, individual to ourselves, but for me, yes, I think I found it easier on my emotions, once I accepted what had happened to me.
It isn't easy to cope with a chronic illness, but I've found that I can still smile you way through the day - well, most days :-)
Namaste.
The above quote came up on my twitter timeline and was placed there by someone who became paralysed and remains positive - an inspiration to me! It isn't always easy, is it?
My life changed drastically when Fibromyalgia hit me and It took me a long time to realise that I had to adapt to it and live my life around it - I could still have a life, but it wouldn't be the same. During that 'long time', I cried - I didn't want to give in - I was suffering in lots of ways. Once I accepted that my Fibromyalgia wasn't going to go away, then I began to plan. "How could I help myself?".
At that time, movement was very slow and getting dressed was quite a challenge, especially with zips, buttons, etc.; I couldn't lift my arms very high and that proved to be one of my biggest problems, so I enlisted the help of my GP - I would find that impossible to do now. He referred me for a course of acupuncture and I had ten sessions. It's a strange sensation having needles placed into various points of the body and I often found one still in place after I had left the surgery, lol. What a joy it was to be able to put a cardigan, or a coat on, by myself - my doctor was as delighted as I was!
My next step was to start walking - short and steady and close to home; five minutes for a week; eight minutes for the following week; ten minutes was wonderful :-) I began slowly to feel more positive, but I also had an aim - to have some independence again. One of my smiley things, was to join a keep fit class for the over fifties - it caused a lot of amusement amongst family and friends - because it was mostly seated exercises and I could join in as much as I could manage. Again, I began with just four minutes and progressed a few minutes each week until I could do the whole hour - I was by far, the youngest in the class, but the ladies were lovely and we laughed a lot.
That was the beginning of my new 'journey' living with Fibromyalgia.
I think we can all take from the quote different things, individual to ourselves, but for me, yes, I think I found it easier on my emotions, once I accepted what had happened to me.
It isn't easy to cope with a chronic illness, but I've found that I can still smile you way through the day - well, most days :-)
Namaste.
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